


Hakyeon's Dates

by Musafir



Category: VIXX
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Decisions, Dating, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Manipulation, Family Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:21:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24738355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musafir/pseuds/Musafir
Summary: In which Hakyeon has boyfriends/ admirers and the rest of VIXX have Opinions.
Relationships: Cha Hakyeon | N/Everyone, Cha Hakyeon | N/Original Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	Hakyeon's Dates

**Author's Note:**

> Trying a new style of writing. Hope you enjoy!

**TAEKWOON**

Taekwoon glared. 

This, of course, was not out of character for him at all, so no one noticed anything different. They continued going about their business without any alarm. Unfortunately, this time, Taekwoon was glaring for a reason, and it was alarming to  _ him  _ that no one else was noticing. Taekwoon was glaring at Hakyeon. 

More specifically at Hakyeon’s upper arm, which flashed bare periodically when the leader lifted his arms up, causing his sleeve to drag up and reveal a steadily darkening bruise. The more he stared, the more he realized with growing alarm, that Hakyeon was also limping very slightly. 

The young leader was doing an excellent job of hiding it, just as he did with everything else. But Taekwoon caught it. Because Taekwoon might have been looking for it. Because Taekwoon was privy to a tiny percentage of facts, larger than the others, concerning Hakyeon’s life. Hakyeon probably had thought Taekwoon wasn’t listening when he had told him, quietly, happily in the privacy of their room, that he was going to go on a date with his longtime boyfriend. But Taekwoon had been listening, just as he listened to everything Hakyeon said. 

Hakyeon had been nearly bursting with happiness last night when he had left the dorm, telling the others that he was going out to do some work on their choreography. No one had noticed that he was wearing a button down shirt, polished shoes, and contained way much more excitement than needed for a late night choreo session. Taekwoon had noticed.

And then, he had also noticed the way Hakyeon seemed exhausted today. The way he held himself carefully, as if he was hurt. As if something had broken him, and all it would take was a stiff wind for him to fall apart. It was a complete change from the way he had left the dorm last night, and Taekwoon knew there was only one factor that could have caused all of this. 

Taekwoon steeled himself. The facts all added up. Taekwoon knew he let Hakyeon handle a lot. But this,  _ this  _ he couldn’t sit idly by and let happen. Hakyeon was his friend. 

“Hakyeon.” He called softly, into the din of the room. 

Across the way, Hakyeon’s head immediately snapped over to him, ever attuned to the call of his name by his members. 

“Taekwoonie! What do you need?” Hakyeon asked, immediately ditching what he was doing and walking over with a smile. 

“We need to talk.” Taekwoon said, forcing the words out from his throat. The others were beginning to look over. It made him self conscious, but he couldn’t back down. This was too important. 

“Oooh, mom and dad are fighting!” Hyuk teased. 

Hakyeon frowned at the maknae, opening his mouth with a gentle rebuke, but Taekwoon grabbed his arm and dragged him to the door, not giving him the chance. He made sure to shut the door behind them, and then to be sfe, dragged Hakyeon further down the hall, making sure it was empty. 

“Is everything alright?” Hakyeon asked, looking at him oddly. 

“No.” Taekwoon said. He turned to Hakyeon, looking at him and wishing the words in his head would just come out. Instead, he swallowed a yell of frustration and grabbed Hakyeon’s arm. 

He knew Hakyeon knew what he knew even before he gently pulled up the sleeve, revealing the full bruise, in the shape of a large hand, curled around Hakyeon’s bicep. 

“Taekwoon-...” Hakyeon swallowed, looking scared, small, and pained. 

“You’re limping.” Taekwoon said quietly. He didn’t like seeing Hakyeon like this. Hakyeon should  _ never  _ be like this. 

“He didn’t mean to. He just...it was my-...” It came out in a rush, as if Hakyeon didn’t know what to say. 

“It wasn’t.” 

“I-...” 

“ _ Hakyeon _ .” Taekwoon’s own voice sounded different. He poured all his worry, his care, his alarm, his love, into saying Hakyeon’s name. And hoped to god it would be enough. He wished he could say everything he wanted to. He wished he could tell Hakyeon that he wanted the name of the asshole that had hurt him so Taekwoon could _ hurt him back _ . He wished he could tell Hakyeon that no one was allowed to make him feel like this, that relationships weren’t ever meant to have moments of fear towards your partner. That no one should have ever laid a hand on Hakyeon because, how  _ dare  _ that person.

But the words stuck in his throat like molasses. So instead, he just said, “Please.” 

Hakyeon understood. He took a deep shuddering breath and closed his eyes. 

“I’ll leave him.” The hurting leader breathed. 

Taekwoon nodded and without allowing himself to think about it, opened his arms and gathered Hakyeon close. He could at least offer this much comfort to his grieving friend. 

**JAEHWAN**

“I hate Hakyeonnie’s boyfriend.” Jaehwan announced.

Hongbin and Ravi looked up, startled, as Jaehwan stomped into the room, making a beeline towards them. Hongbin moved over just in time before Jaehwan dropped down in between them, crossing his arms with a huff.

“Cute.” Ravi said, clearly unable to stop himself. Hongbin rolled his eyes at the predictable comment. 

“What did Hakyeon’s boyfriend do?” He asked, curiosity getting the better of him. He set his game on pause and turned slightly. 

Two seats over now, Ravi also saved the work he had been doing on his laptop and turned to face Jaehwan. The fact that Jaehwan had sat down meant this was about to be a conversation. And the fact that he was upset meant that it had the potential to be a  _ long  _ one. 

“He’s just constantly  _ there _ .” Jaehwan steamed. “I was just out with hyung getting groceries and he just  _ happened to show up _ . He said  _ he  _ would finish getting groceries with hyung and that I could go home because he would  _ drive Hakyeon home later. _ Can you  _ believe  _ that?” 

Ravi and Hongbin exchanged a glance over Jaehwan’s head. 

“So...what you’re saying is Hakyeon’s boyfriend offered to help him do the groceries and drive him home later so he could spend time with hyung?” Hongbin asked, speaking slowly in case there was something he was missing. Like the actual issue. 

“Yes!” Jaehwan said, confirming that there was apparently no more to the story. 

“The nerve.” Hongbin said, with a completely straight face. Ravi rolled his eyes at him and then let out a sigh. 

“Jaehwannie, it sounds like Hakyeon’s boyfriend just wanted to spend time with him. You know hyung has the busiest schedule, so they probably don’t get to spend much time together.” Ravi consoled. 

“I don’t get to spend much time with him either! What if I wanted to spend quality time with Hakyeon instead? Why is he always there? Hakyeon said he would do the groceries with  _ me _ .” Jaehwan ranted. 

“It, uh, it sucks, but I think that’s just what happens when you are in a relationship? You try to spend time together doing whatever you can, even if it's the boring stuff?” Ravi tried. 

“But he’s  _ always  _ there. Last week Hakyeon cancelled our bowling trip because his stupid boyfriend was sick and he felt like he had to go take care of him. Then, we were supposed to get lunch, but  _ he  _ showed up  _ with  _ lunch. Then Hakyeon and I were supposed to ride together with Hyogie to the new venue, but guess who showed up and said they would take Hakyeon instead? And now this! This guy is  _ everywhere _ !” Jaehwan, at one point had stood up and began pacing in front of them, gesturing wildly to prove his points. 

All of which were not appearing as anything that alarmed Hongbin or Ravi, despite Hongbin’s attempts to keep his best aghast look on his face. Ravi elbowed him and Hongbin had to bite his tongue to painfully smother a laugh. Laughing in the general vicinity of an angry Jaehwan was a sure-fire way of getting murdered. 

“It sounds like, and I’m not saying you are wrong or anything, but it kind of sounds like it might have just been your schedules that overlapped with his boyfriend’s times? I haven’t even met the guy yet.” Ravi said.

“He sucks.” Jaehwan said immediately. 

“Oh, now that I think about it, I’ve never run into him either.” Hongbin said, with muted surprise. 

“He’s trying to get Hakyeon all to himself.” Jaehwan implored them to see.

“Hyung, as much as I hate to admit it, I have to side with Ravi hyung on this one.” Hongbin said, ignoring Ravi’s  _ why would you hate to admit that!  _ “It sounds like, for whatever reason, unfortunately only your times with hyung have overlapped. You do spend more time with Hakyeon hyung than the rest of us, maybe that’s it? You just need to learn how to share hyung! Get used to spending a little less time with him?” 

“But I’m not spending  _ any  _ time with him. I feel like I haven’t talked with him in weeks!” Jaehwan said desperately. 

“Hyung, don’t be dramatic. We  _ live  _ together.” Hongbin pointed out. 

“Yeah, just think about how it is when he is here without any distractions and you’ll suddenly find out that you are okay with his boyfriend hogging his time.” Ravi laughed, “At least he is getting out the majority of his hugs there. With any other affection he might feel the need to dispense.” 

“Ew.” Hongbin informed him.

“I  _ want  _ his hugs.” Jaehwan said sadly. 

“If you feel that it's that serious, then just ask him to make time for you.” Ravi said with a shrug. He pulled his laptop back onto his lap, signaling that his attention was wavering. “It’s Hakyeon hyung, you know he’ll bend over backwards to do whatever you want.” 

“Good luck.” Hongbin said, also picking up his controller, hoping that Jaehwan had been mollified at least somewhat. 

“Maybe.” Jaehwan said with a frown. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hakyeon laughed, looking up from his phone which had buzzed in the middle of a story Jaehwan had been telling. Jaehwan hadn’t been saying anything remotely funny. Jaehwan knew, without a doubt in his bones, what had pulled Hakyeon’s attention away so effortlessly. It made him grind his teeth. 

“Sorry, go on!” Hakyeon said to him, putting the phone down, “So you were saying that Mari’s shoes were too-...”

“I want you to break up with your boyfriend!” Jaehwan blurted out. As soon as he said it, guilt crashed down on him at the sight of Hakyeon’s startled face.

“...What?” Hakeon asked with a little laugh, as if he wasn’t sure if he had heard right. 

Jaehwan knew he was at a crossroads. He could play it off, pretend it was a bad joke, or...or he could get Hakyeon back. He knew what the right thing to do was. He knew he had no business asking Hakyeon to sacrifice his relationship for him. But…

Hakyeon had been with him for  _ years _ . Jaehwan had never felt this type of absence of the leader’s presence before. He never knew Hakyeon to be this immersed with someone outside of their group. It felt wrong. Not even past boyfriends demanded Hakyeon’s attention like this one did. 

“I…” Jaehwan started, feeling the words get caught in his throat. He  _ shouldn't- _ .

“Why?” Hakyeon asked, fully focused on him in a way that he hadn’t been in  _ months _ . It was exhilarating. 

Jaehwan unloaded.

Exactly one half of him screamed that it was wrong. That Hakyeon was allowed to find happiness outside of them. That Hakyeon deserved to be happy without feeling guilty about it. And the other half purred in satisfaction as he finally unloaded everything that he had been feeling since Hakyeon had ran into the dreaded man months ago. 

“You’re never  _ there  _ anymore.” Jaehwan said, voice sad. “I had to  _ schedule  _ this lunch with you to make it happen.” 

Hakyeon flinched.

Jaehwan stopped as if someone had poured ice water over his head. 

“Oh-...oh no, hyung. Wait. I-...I’m sorry.” Jaehwan said, scrambling for words. A moment ago, they had been coming so easily, but now, seeing Hakyeon small and frozen in his chair, Jaehwan screamed at himself. 

“It’s okay. I think...I think you’re right.” Hakyeon said, composing himself. His voice was shaky, but he seemed to mantle himself into sitting straight. “It’s okay, Hwannie. You didn’t do anything wrong, this is my fault. Thanks for being honest with me.” 

Hakyeon smiled at him. Jaehwan smiled hesitantly back, a part of him shaken. The rest of their lunch continued quietly, but at the end of it, when Jaehwan made to go hug Hakyeon, the leader didn’t push him away, and Jaehwan took that as a good sign. 

A week later Hakyeon quietly broke up with his boyfriend.

**RAVI**

“Don’t come.” 

“I’m coming.” 

“You don’t have to come, really.” 

“Don’t be silly! Of course, I do!” 

“I don’t want you to come.” 

“Yes, you do. Be nice, Ravi-ah.” 

Ravi’s eye twitched, but despite himself, his mouth stretched into a smile in the privacy of the green room. He was two weeks away from his first solo concert, and had been feeling the anxiety kick in when Hakyeon had called to inform him that he was stopping by to support him and bring him food. It had been exactly what he had needed, and not for the first time, Ravi wondered if Hakyeon had some sort of supernatural power that alerted him to their distress. It just couldn’t be possible that he always knew when they needed him, even when they didn’t know they needed him. 

“Fine. Do what you want. I’m not even hungry.” Ravi said gruffly, fighting to keep the smile out of his voice. 

“See you soon, Ravi-ah!” Hakyeon chirped. 

The small banter lifted his spirits, as well as the thought of food. Despite what he had told Hakyeon, he  _ was  _ hungry. And Hakyeon never skimped when it came to bringing them food. Ravi stood, grabbing his hat and his microphone. He could probably get in practice for one more song before Hakyeon got here, and if he got here during, well Ravi knew he wouldn’t mind waiting. 

If Hakyeon was bringing him dinner, the least he could do was give him a show. 

With renewed spirits, he went to practice. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sweat dripped off his forehead and made its way into his eyes and Ravi brushed it away, breathing hard. He had just run through his whole set and his entire team had gushed about how perfectly it had gone. Normally he never took people’s compliments past a surface level, preferring to monitor his own performances through the recordings, but this time he felt like he had done great. 

Maybe because he had known Hakyeon was somewhere within the small crowd that had gathered to watch him practice, so he had given it his all. Despite all the teasing, he wanted to show Hakyeon that he could do this. That Hakyeon’s faith in him shouldn’t just stem from the insane amount of love he had, but Ravi’s actual skills. 

Ravi wiped away the last of the sweat and turned, peering through the crowd and looking for said member. He frowned when he didn’t catch sight of him immediately, and squinted harder, trying to see past the flood of bright fluorescent lights. To his consternation, he didn’t catch sight of anyone that looked like Hakyeon. It was possible that Hakyeon had left to go wait in his green room. Ravi gave himself a quick nod; that had to be it. There was no way he wasn’t here yet; it had been over an hour since he had called. He had probably just gone to put the food down.

Satisfied with the obvious explanation, Ravi continued his short greetings with the other people, making his way to the green room. He nodded politely to the last of the people following him down the hall, and then marched into his private space, giddy. 

“This is a private space, I’m going to have to ask security to escort you out.” He said loudly. 

To an empty room. 

Utterly thrown off, Ravi did a full 360, just in case, for whatever reason, Hakyeon might have decided to play hide and seek with him today. There was no one there. A huff of disbelief left him, and Ravi quickly went for his phone, a pang of worry shooting through him. It was doubtful that anything had happened, but Ravi never brought his phone with him on stage, so if it had, he wouldn’t know until it was too late. 

For better or for worse, there were no messages on his screen. Ravi considered typing one out to ask Hakyeon where he was, but then decided to hold off. He didn’t want to make it seem like he was waiting for Hakyeon or anything. The resulting hugs of joy would ruin his image. Quickly changing out of his shirt to a dry one, Ravi grabbed his phone and left the small room. 

“Hey,” He said, quickly flagging down a PD that was familiar with them, “Have you seen Hakyeon?” 

“Hakyeon? No, did he say he was going to come?” The PD asked, looking surprised. 

“Maybe I heard wrong.” Ravi said with a forced smile. “Thanks anyway.” 

He continued walking the venue, flagging down two other people who he had definitely seen in this crowd, and learned that neither of them had seen Hakyeon. His mood, so elated from earlier, darkened. It was possible that they had missed him, but the more likely reasoning was that Hakyeon had never made it to the mini concert Ravi had just put on for him.

He was about to give up the search and call Hakyeon to find out what hole the leader had fallen into, when he froze at the sound of a laugh. A very familiar laugh. He backtracked to a slightly open doorway, and listened again. 

“That’s so funny! I can’t believe that happened!” Hakyeon exclaimed. 

Ravi barged into the room. He wasn’t thinking when he did it, and he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but it wasn’t this. 

In front of him, Hakyeon looked up in surprise, along with the rapper that Ravi had been introduced to earlier as the opening act to his show. He was just breaking into the industry and his name already slipped Ravi’s mind, but the memory of the sneer on his face as he shook Ravi’s hand had stayed. Ravi hadn’t liked him since the moment he met him and now he was sitting with Hakyeon on a small couch, eating the food that Hakyeon had clearly brought for Ravi. Ravi felt his jaw lock into place. 

“Ravi-ah!” Hakyeon exclaimed, pleased.

“What are you doing?” Ravi asked, the words coming out somewhat harsh before he could soften them.

“Oh, I was coming to you when I got lost. Then I ran into Minho here, have you met? He’s very sweet-,” Hakyeon smiled at the other rapper, unaware of the tightening of Ravi’s jaw. “He told me you were doing some practice runs and that I could wait with him. Wasn’t that nice?” 

“Incredibly.” Ravi said, through forcibly un-gritted teeth. 

“Nice to meet you again.” Minho said, the same look on his face present as when Ravi had met him for the first time. “It was my pleasure to entertain Hakyeon, here. I knew he would get bored waiting alone, so it was no trouble at all.” 

Meaning bored as in Hakyeon would be  _ bored  _ watching Ravi perform. 

Hakyeon gushed out thanks, entirely unaware of the insult that Minho had just thrown at Ravi. Ravi, however, caught it, and the quick challenging flick of Minho’s eyes towards him. He felt his hands close into fists. He knew there was competition amongst rappers, but he didn’t think one would be stupid enough to think that they could sway  _ Hakyeon  _ away from him _. _ Maybe he didn’t know about their history, but Ravi didn’t feel like enlightening him. He wanted to take Hakyeon and get out of this room, forever. 

He didn’t want Minho’s slimy eyes on his leader for a moment longer. 

“-honestly, Ravi, the fried chicken was getting cold-...” Hakyeon was saying, gesturing to the table in front with the remains of the food Hakyeon had meticulously packed for him.  __

Right. It was another mark against him that this asshole had not only kept Hakyeon from seeing him practice, but  _ eaten his food.  _

“Hyung. I’m starving. Let's go get dinner.” Ravi said, cutting into Hakyeon’s rambling. 

“Oh! Really? Sure! Then you can tell me all about how practice went!” Hakyeon said, happily. “Let me just go say hello to PD, I saw him earlier. Meet you out front?” 

“Sure.” Ravi said easily, not moving back when Hakyeon made his goodbyes to Minho, and forcing the leader to brush up against him as he passed by. He watched as Minho’s gaze swept up and down Hakyeon’s body as the leader turned away, and focused on his ass until it was out of sight. Ravi’s hands curled into fists. 

“He’s cute.” Minho said, when Ravi continued to stand at the door and glare at him. Minho smirked at him, as if knowing that he was incensing Ravi with his words. “I haven’t seen an ass like that on a guy in ages.” 

“Stay the fuck away from him.” Ravi warned, voice low. 

“Sure.” Minho agreed easily. “But I can’t do anything about it if he’s the one who comes to me.” 

“He won’t.” Ravi snarled, before stepping out and slamming the door to the room shut. Asshole. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Great show yesterday, Ravi!” A producer hurrying past called to him, and Ravi lifted his hand in thanks. “Tell Hakyeon I said hi!” 

His eyebrows pulled together at the slightly odd request, but Ravi mentally shrugged and agreed. It wasn’t like Hakyeon was here. The third and final show had ended yesterday and Ravi was floating on too much of a high to care about anything other than his endorphins. His members had supported him on every show, his reviews had been great, the house had been packed. 

It was better than anything he had ever imagined. 

And now, he could go home and rest. Or rather, go home and immediately start working on the next round of songs, after the surprise party that was no doubt waiting for him. Ravi smiled contently. There was nothing that could ruin his mood. 

Everything was perfect. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ravi wanted to rip something to shreds. He wanted to create a scene and not give a damn about it in the restaurant his members had picked to host the party in. There were tons of people here, mingling and interacting, laughing with each other and having a good time while slightly tipsy. Entirely unaware that Ravi was seconds away from an apocalypse style explosion. 

Across the room, sitting at a table that was littered with empty shot glasses, Minho and Hakyeon sat, with the rapper’s hand resting high up on the intoxicated leader’s thigh. Ravi could feel the blood rush to his head as anger cast a red glare on everything. 

“Hyung! You aren’t- oh holy shit, what’s wrong?” Hyuk asked in alarm, as he went from happy to worried in an instant after one glance at Ravi’s face. 

“What the hell is happening over there?” Ravi barked, gesturing across the room, in a tightly controlled motion. 

Hyuk looked over in confusion, scanning the area where Ravi was pointing and unable to see any problems. He looked back with a confused look on his face.

“What’s happening where?” He asked, one eyebrow raised. 

“Hakyeon. What is he doing talking to that creep?” Ravi grit out. Across the room, Hakyeon ducked his head and laughed shyly. 

“What creep?” Hyuk snapped his head over again, this time spotting what Ravi had been staring at. “Oh...uh, hyung? That’s his boyfriend.”

“ _ What _ .” 

“Yeah...I think they are fairly new? But I saw him come pick up Hyung a few times.” Hyuk edged away from him slightly as Ravi seemed to jerk reflexively with his hands curled into fists. 

“From _ our dorm? _ ” 

“...Yes?” Hyuk said hesitantly. 

“I’ll kill him.” Ravi stormed forward, and was immediately pulled back by Hyuk, who glanced around to make sure they were not attracting attention. 

“Woah! Woah, what’s the big deal? Is there something wrong with that guy?” Hyuk said, using a lot of his strength to hold the angry rapper back. 

“Yeah. He’s a complete  _ asshole _ . I told him to stay away from Hakyeon.” Ravi grit out. 

“But he won’t hurt Hyung right?” Hyuk asked. If there was even a hint that he would, Hyuk would set Ravi loose in a moment, image be damned. 

“No, he’s probably too much of a wimp to do that, but he’s a slimy bastard and I don't want him near Hakyeon.” 

“Okay, okay I get it. He sucks. But hyung, this is your  _ party _ . You can’t start a fight here! That’s not the kind of press you want right after your debut, trust me. Just calm down, have a drink, talk to Hakyeon later.” Hyuk said, hoping Ravi would see reason. 

It took a few seconds of Ravi straining against Hyuk’s arm, before he went still. Roughly, he turned away from the infuriating sight, just in time too, because when Hyuk glanced over, Minho had put his arm around Hakyeon’s shoulder. 

“I need a drink.” Ravi growled. 

“Great! Let's go do that!” Hyuk said, pulling him far away and to the other end of the room.

“I’m going to talk to him tonight. As soon as this party is over.” Ravi said to him firmly. 

“You do that.” Hyuk said, herding him away.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hakyeon didn’t come home that night. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Hi kids!” Hakyeon breezed into the practice room, entirely unaware of the thunder cloud that was following Ravi around. “Sorry I’m late! Manager hyung and I were going over some changes and our meeting ran over.” 

He dropped his bag into its usual corner of the room and turned around with a stretch. It was nothing new; they always stretched before they practiced, learning the importance of it since their trainee days. Hakyeon lifted his arms over his head, pulling upwards to stretch out his deltoids and trying to loosen them. 

What he didn’t realize was that when he did the stretch this time, it pulled up the white shirt he was wearing to reveal red marks near his hips. Ravi made the mistake of glancing over, and the calm speech he had prepared in his mind flew out the window as rage filled him at the thought of what Minho had done to leave those marks. And, it might have been unfair, but there was a small spark of anger at Hakyeon for  _ letting  _ Minho leave the marks. 

Hakyeon turned around and dropped out of the stretch when no one returned his greeting. It finally kicked in that something was  _ off _ . The only other people in the room were Hyuk and Ravi, and Hyuk was staring at the wall while Ravi was glaring head on at him. He wondered if Taekwoon, Hongbin, and Jaehwan were also running late. He pulled his arm back down from over his head, a confused expression dawning on his face. 

“What’s wrong? Where is everyone?” He asked, confused. 

“Where were you?” Ravi asked, arms crossed tightly over his chest. He sounded angry. 

“I just told you? I was with manager hyung.” Hakyeon said, raising an eyebrow. 

“Last night.” 

“I’m going to go get some water.” Hyuk mumbled before running out of the room. 

Hakyeon watched him go with a bewildered look on his face. He turned back to Ravi with a questioning look, and then the man’s question sunk in. He could feel his cheeks redden.

“That’s none of your business.” He said, trying to inject some authority in his voice. 

“It is when you make stupid decisions like being with  _ Minho _ .” Ravi spat, fully dropping any pretenses. He said the other rapper’s name as if it was a curse word. 

“Yah! Don’t call me stupid. And what’s wrong with Minho? I thought you liked him, he’s nice!” Hakyeon protested, realizing that he had stepped into a fight and was utterly unprepared. 

“He’s a creepy asshole and you shouldn’t be dating him.” Ravi said flatly. It sounded like an order with how hard his tone was. 

“I wasn’t aware that I had to run my personal life decisions past you.” Hakyeon said, tone starting to frost over, as his defense kicked in. “And don’t be rude.” 

“Maybe you should start doing that so in the future you won’t make the same bad decisions.” Ravi said stubbornly. 

“Yah! Ravi! What’s the matter with you? Why are you being like this?” Hakyeon asked, half angry and half confused. He was completely blindsided by the anger Ravi was showing, unsure what had prompted it. Ravi had never had an issue with any of his boyfriends in the past, he hadn’t even given him a spare thought when Minho had asked him out. He had thought Ravi and Minho were  _ friends _ , for god’s sake. 

“I want you to break up with him. And never see him again. He’s not a good guy.” Ravi demanded. 

“I’m sorry, what alternate dimension did we step into where I let you control my life?” Hakyeon asked, voice in a near yell. “And he’s been a perfect gentleman to me, so I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“He’s a perverted creep!” Ravi finally yelled. “He’s just trying to piss me off! The only reason he wants you is your body! How stupid do you have to be that you can’t see it?!”

Hakyeon froze. 

Ravi froze.

That hadn’t been what he had meant to say. That hadn’t been it at all. He had no idea how the conversation had derailed and escalated so badly, but he hadn’t meant it. And now Hakyeon’s face was doing that thing it did right before they pushed him to cry. They had promised not to make him cry anymore. 

Guilt crashed against him like a physical thing and Ravi desperately tried to reach for the words to apologize. 

“Hyung-...I didn’t mean…”

“I’m leaving.” Hakyeon said, in a surprisingly steady voice. “Can you tell the others I’m sorry, and I’ll reschedule?” He picked up his bag with urgency, not looking at Ravi. 

“Hyung.” Ravi said, voice small, wanting to reach out but for the first time ever, unsure if the touch would be welcome. 

Hakyeon ran out, shoulders hunched before Ravi could stop him. Ravi stood there frozen, knowing he should run after Hakyeon, but not sure what he would say when he caught up to him. Minho was bad for Hakyeon. He wouldn’t give him the love and care he needed. Ravi knew that. He just wished he had managed to tell Hakyeon that in a way that didn’t upset him, but he had just lost his temper when he had seen the marks. And now he had hurt Hakyeon unnecessarily. The guilt tried to drown him even as he tried to tell himself that it didn't matter  _ how  _ Hakyeon broke up with Minho, as long as he did. For his own good. 

The consolation did nothing to stem the guilt. 

Hyuk walked back into the room, a carefully neutral look on his face. 

“I thought we promised not to make Hyung cry anymore.” He said, voice carefully unaccusing. 

“Fuck.” 

**HONGBIN**

Due to the extremely high number of times Hongbin had been ‘randomly’ partnered with Hakyeon, despite his best efforts to the contrary, he would place a very sure bet in saying he knew the most about Hakyeon. Despite whatever Taekwoon had to say. That was a different kind of knowing. 

Taekwoon and Hakyeon’s  _ souls  _ knew each other. And probably loved each other. 

It wasn’t a sentence Hongbin would ever say aloud, but living in a buddist temple as a child occasionally made him think such thoughts, and he made sure to keep a lid on them. Because otherwise he would probably live in constant cringe. 

Hongbin knew Hakyeon the best when it came to things that happened around and to him, mostly without his knowledge. They might do their best to make sure Hakyeon’s attention never landed on them for fear of being drowned in love, but the rest of the world seemed to compete to hold even a moment of his attention. Hakyeon might have missed it, because his attention was constantly pulled away by something, but as a constant spectator, Hongbin saw it all. 

The way people turned to watch him walk by. The way other idols treated him with respect and admiration, the way producers and managers took his opinion and suggestions very seriously. The way people fought to get his attention away from each other, and coveted the precious moments he looked at them and smiled as if they could use them as currency. The way both men and women swept their eyes up and down his tapered body, flattering curves, gentle smile, and long legs. The way their faces lit up when he listened intently to them, as if whatever they were saying was the most important thing he would ever hear. 

Another thing Hongbin would never say aloud; he could see how some people could become obsessed. Easily, even.

And since he had somehow won front seat tickets to the rest of Hakyeon’s life, he occasionally felt like it was his duty to keep his hyung away from some of the more desperate characters out there. He thought that his job would be much easier when Hakyeon had told them that he preferred men and told them not to be douchebags about it, but it was not. The women might have been numerous in quantity but the men were ten times as persistent. And much more sly, on occasion. 

Hongbin had gotten rid of many admirers that had stared at Hakyeon like they either wanted to eat him or chain him up in their basement, but the facts were that he couldn’t always be there. He couldn’t keep a constant watch over Hakyeon, for numerous reasons, the most important of which being that he would never want Hakyeon to find out what he was doing. The man finding out would lead to tears and hugs and joy and Hongbin didn’t have time for it in his schedule. 

And Hakyeon had an incredibly packed schedule. 

The more successful they got, the busier Hakyeon got, and the less Hongbin complained about being paired with him for the simple fact that he just wasn’t doing the same activities anymore. Still, despite all this, Hongbin had honed his skills for years, and didn’t need to constantly be with Hakyeon anymore, to know who would cause a problem. 

For example, the man Hongbin had invited out to lunch, under the pretense of being Hakyeon. He should be arriving any moment now. Hongbin casually adjusted his sunglasses and lowered his mask for a moment to sip the latte he had ordered. 

He made a mental note to tell Taekwoon about this place. He would love it; their drinks ran just a little on the sweet side, just like he preferred. 

“Hakyeon?” A man whispered loudly at him. His eyes were wide and he was staring at Hongbin with barely contained excitement. 

“Not quite, please sit down.” Hongbin said, voice low. 

“L-Lee Hongbin?” The man stuttered out, clearly confused, but listening to the order and taking a seat in the booth Hongbin had chosen. 

It was strategically picked so it was away from the rest, and all the way in the back. They would be able to have a private conversation, just how Hongbin wanted. 

“That’s me.” Hongbin said, confirming, when the man sat and stared at him with wide eyes. 

“Oh. I thought-...anyway. Uh, my name is-....” 

“Sound technician number three.” Hongbin said pleasantly. 

“...W-What?” 

“You are sound technician number three.” Hongbin said matter of factly. “I’ve been watching you.”

“You-you have?” The poor guy looked like he didn’t know what to think. 

Hongbin wanted to tell him to reign in the shock, because he was about to get a lot more of it. 

“Oh yes. I’ve been watching you watch Hakyeon. On stage. Off stage. In the halls. In our waiting room. I even saw you try to watch him in his changing room. Did you ever wonder what happened to that camera?” Hongbin asked, voice unchanging at all as he listed everything matter of factly. 

The man in front of him was somehow white as a ghost and sweating simultaneously. Hongbin found it fascinating to watch. 

“N-No, I didn’t! It wasn’t me! I swear!” The man stuttered, protests getting a tad too loud for Hongbin’s tastes. 

He shushed the budding stalker. The man clamped his mouth shut looking terrified. 

“Let's not disturb the other patrons.” Hongbin said pleasantly. “And this will go so much easier for you if you don’t lie to me. Don’t forget, I already told you; while you were watching Hakyeon, I was watching  _ you _ . I carry a camera around on set, don’t know if you ever noticed. You might have not because I know you find it hard to peel your eyes away from Hyung. But no matter, the fact is that I  _ do _ , and because of that, I took some very interesting shots. Shots that I can so very easily take to security, or management, or the press if I wanted to.” 

“W-what...what do you want from me?” The man whimpered, looking at Hongbin, terrified. 

Hongbin was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the man seemed to understand his situation. Some of the men were much harder to persuade to think of their best interests, having let the obsession run too deep. It looked like there was still hope for this one yet. 

“I think you already know.” Hongbin said, looking at the man with something akin to pity. 

“I can-...I can stop, I swear. I won’t look at him ever again!” The man whispered fervently.

“Come now, we both know that's not good enough.” Hongbin said, clicking his tongue in disappointment. “How do you ever expect to move on when the reason for your obsession is constantly in front of you? Quit.”

There might have been a time in his life when asking someone to quit their job might have made him balk. He had only made the mistake of showing sympathy to a stalker once, and Hakyeon had paid the price by having nightmares for half a year. The guy had become obsessed with the idea that Hakyeon had been sending him hidden signals that he wanted to run away together, and tried to kidnap the leader. He had drugged Hakyeon and gotten him into the backseat of his car when security had caught up to them. 

Now Hongbin was cutthroat. 

“But I-...” The man looked at him, begging silently. 

“Quit or I show the pictures.” Hongbin said. 

It took a few more minutes of shaking and whimpering before the man nodded. 

“I’ll turn in my resignation tomorrow.” He whispered. 

“Excellent!” Hongbin said pleasantly. He gathered his things. “I suppose it doesn’t need to be said, but if I  _ ever  _ see you, or even catch a  _ hint  _ that you have been sniffing around Hakyeon, there will be hell to pay.” His voice dropped low, into a dark promise as he loomed over the man threateningly. 

He pulled away within a moment, quick enough that anyone watching could brush off the moment as a trick of the eye, and slow enough that the quaking man beneath him was under no compunctions that Hongbin was not a man to be messed with. 

“Have a nice day.” Hongbin said, gathering up his late and whistling a pleasant tune on his way out the door. 

He idly wondered if anyone was free for dinner, and if he would get a chance to squeeze in a game beforehand. 

**HYUK**

It didn’t bother him at first, when Hakyeon moved out. The leader had cited everything from needing personal space, to only doing it so they would have another place to retreat to if their dorm building ever collapsed. Because apparently that was in the realm of things Hakyeon considered immediately worrying. When Hakyeon moved out, there was a different feeling than normal. They all teased him, of course, at finally getting the freedom they craved for years, but Hyuk couldn’t help but feel a tinge of raw sadness. 

Maybe it was the way Hakyeon seemed to be genuinely asking if they were okay with it, and then backing off with a smile at the responding list of things they planned to do with his room. He seemed sadder than normal at the teasing. It rubbed Hyuk wrong, because he didn’t understand  _ why  _ Hakyeon seemed so quietly sad. It had been  _ his  _ decision, so why did it seem like he was desperately silently begging one of them to force him to stay? 

It just didn’t make any sense. 

Then, a few months later, when Hyuk had completely shaken off the feelings of unease and forgotten about them, he overheard something that brought them all back. Hakyeon had left his workout bag in their studio, and Hyuk had lost the rock, paper, scissors game of who had to bring it to him. He had groaned and grumbled, but was already making plans to eat dinner with Hakyeon in his apartment. It smelled nice and was always clean and was a nice break from the dorm. Hyuk would never tell the others, but he liked going over there; it was a comforting break from the rest of the world. 

Hakyeon had told them they were all welcome at any time, and had made them all keys to reinforce it. Hyuk had never used his before, but today, he was feeling bold enough to stride in without announcing himself. It was Hakyeon’s fault he had to come anyway, might as well see if he could get the leader to shriek in surprise. 

Hyuk quietly let himself into the apartment, the signature scent of something lightly floral coming out to meet him, and closed the door behind him silently. He heard vague movement further in and grinned to himself, wondering if Hakyeon would think he was being robbed. He debated jumping out with a scream, but then figured if he made Hakyeon too upset, the leader wouldn’t be as willing to pay for dinner. He was just about to stride out into the central room, when he froze in his tracks at the sound of an unknown voice. 

“Aren’t you glad I made you move out?” A man asked with a laugh. 

Hakyeon, Hyuk could identify his voice anywhere, anytime, hummed noncommittally, in response. 

“We can just do this whenever we want now-,” There was a rustle of movement and Hakyeon let out a gasp before it dissolved into a short laugh. “-And we don’t have to worry about anyone walking in on us.” 

“Don’t do that, I’m trying to focus.” Hakyeon scolded, clearly swerving around the subject like the pro he was at conversational maneuvering. 

“Alright, alright. Baby gets what he wants. Make dinner, I’m going to go grab a shower.”

“Okay.” 

Hyuk moved on autopilot as fast as he could, and let himself out of the apartment in near complete silence. 

_ Aren’t you glad I made you move out?  _

He shoved the key deep inside his pocket and stared at the front door of Hakyeon’s apartment, feeling thrown so incredibly off kilter. He didn’t know who that man was. He hadn’t even known Hakyeon was dating again. In fact, he was fairly certain that none of the members knew that Hakyeon was dating someone. And especially not someone so-

_ Aren’t you glad I made you move out. _

_ Make dinner.  _

Controlling. 

Perhaps it wasn’t fair. Hyuk hadn’t even met the man, had only eavesdropped on his conversation, and he knew that wasn’t a fair amount of exposure to be able to fully judge his character. But. Now he knew how the others felt during those odd times when they had tried to explain the feeling of something just being  _ off  _ with one of Hakyeon’s boyfriends. He hadn’t understood at the time. He had even thought they were being selfish in trying to ruin Hakyeon’s relationships. Now he understood. He understood so clearly that it was difficult not to barge back into the apartment and scream at the man to get out. 

But he couldn’t. At least not just yet. 

Hyuk pulled out his phone and walked out of the building. 

“Ah, Hyung!” He said when Hakyeon picked up with a pleased greeting. Hyuk could hear the sounds of running water and things being chopped in the background. “You left your gym bag in the practice room.” 

“Oh shoot, I totally forgot it.” Hakyeon said, “Can you leave it in a corner and I’ll make sure to grab it tomorrow?” 

“I can bring it to you now, I don’t mind.” Hyuk said, staring up at Hakyeon’s windows from outside. “Do you want to grab dinner? We can order in, I won’t make you get gopchang.” His tone might have been teasing, but his face was dead serious with calculating eyes. 

“Ahh, I would have loved to, Hyogie,” Hakyeon sounded sincerely apologetic. “But I’m on my way out, probably going to grab some dinner on the go before I meet up with some people to rehearse lines for the show. Rain check?” 

Lie. Blatant lie. It was simple, succinct, believable, and innocent. Hyuk wondered how many times he had lied to them before. 

“Sure, Hyung. No problem. I’ll leave your bag by the table.” Hyuk said. 

“Thanks, Hyogie! See you later!” 

As he walked down the street, Hyuk thought about how easy it would have been to call Hakyeon on the lie. He could pinpoint why he didn’t; it was simply too early to do it. If he went in now, guns blazing, he wouldn't have the upper hand. Hell, after demanding to know why this mystery man thought a world famous idol was only there to make him dinner, Hyuk had no other complaint. Except-

_ Aren’t you glad I made you move out. _

That bothered him on a level he hadn’t been previously aware even existed within him. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Did you know that N-hyung is dating someone?” Hyuk asked, striding into the kitchen with purpose. He had spent the entire night turning over small conversation he had overheard and was now ready with a game plan. 

Ravi, Hongbin, and Jaehwan looked up startled from where they had been tiredly eating breakfast in the early light of the day. Ravi’s eyes were even half closed, but when Hyuk’s words sank in, they immediately sharpened and narrowed. Hongbin and Jaehwan looked surprised. 

“Is he? I hadn’t heard.” Hongbin said.

“Me neither,” Jaehwan agreed with Ravi shaking his head along, “Who is it?” 

“I don’t know either.” Hyuk admitted, “But I know he  _ is  _ dating someone. Do you think Leo-hyung knows?” 

“He doesn’t.” Ravi said surely, “We were just talking the other day, he never said anything about Hakyeon having a new one.” 

“But would he say anything?” Hyuk asked, with a pointed look. Taekwoon kept secrets like a pro, mainly because he couldn’t be bothered to talk in general. 

“He would tell me.” Ravi said, assuredly. 

“Maybe it’s just new?” Hongbin suggested. 

“No, I don’t think so. I think he’s purposely hiding it.” Hyuk said. And then he told them what he had overheard. He tried to be as objective as possible, wanting his hyungs to come to their own conclusions so he could gauge whether he was overreacting or not, but it was hard. 

The more he thought about that deep disembodied voice in Hakyeon’s apartment, the more uneasy he felt. Part of him still wished he had stormed right in and asked who that man thought he was, ordering around his hyung like that. 

“He said he  _ made  _ Hakyeon move out?” Jaehwan asked aghast. 

“That’s what I heard.” Hyuk said, nodding with a little bit of relief. At least it looked like Jaehwan was on his side. 

“It does sound bad.” Hongbin started dubiously, “But I think it's too early to say anything right now. Hakyeon hyung is usually very open about his relationships, maybe he has his own reasons for not saying anything just yet.” 

“The reasons being he somehow attracts the worst people. And doesn’t realize it.” Ravi said, with a heavy sigh. “But I think Binnie is right, it's too soon to call anything yet. We haven’t even met the guy; maybe hyung is trying to feel him out by himself first. We should wait and let him come to us.” 

“But-...” Hyuk protested. 

“Look, I’ve been where you are. And I think we all know I handled it pretty badly.” Ravi said, with a wince, “Trust me when I say you don’t want to know how long it was before Hakyeon started to look at me again without feeling hurt. You don’t want that. Be careful about this because if you’re wrong and Hakyeon sides with this mystery guy, it's going to be a lot tougher to get back to where you are now, especially because he doesn’t even live here anymore.” 

Hyuk mulled over the words in silence, feeling like he wanted to scream. On one hand, he knew what Ravi was saying was the truth. He had only overheard one conversation, and he could have misjudged the entire thing. On the other, he had a gut feeling so strong it was nearly making him sick. 

But. This was Hakyeon. Hyuk knew there was really only one answer when it came to his leader. Hurting him wasn’t an option, so Hyuk would wait. He would wait, and bide his time, and if he needed to, he would just physically pick up Hakyeon and take him away. There. New plan. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hakyeon didn’t introduce them to his boyfriend for another three months. He didn’t even tell them that he was dating, instead making excuses for why he couldn’t stay late, and dancing around the subject when it was brought up. Hyuk confirmed that Taekwoon didn’t know, not that he hadn’t believed Ravi, but he needed to know for sure. That had been another startling thing; he had previously been under the impression that the mom and dad of the group confided in each other about everything. Finding out that was incorrect left an ugly feeling in his chest. 

“He will tell us when he wants us to know.” Taekwoon had said, before retreating quietly away. There was something uneasy in his eyes and Hyuk knew he was also thrown off by the news, but trying to give Hakyeon the space he was looking for. 

Hyuk observed Hakyeon in the meantime. He seemed the same as ever; mothering them to within an inch of their lives, dancing flawlessly, being helpful in his omniscient way, running around to ten different schedules at one time. The only difference, a  _ major  _ difference, was he no longer joined them for dinner. At the end of the day, no matter how much they subtly begged, he left with an apologetic smile and a lie. More practice, rehearsal, another schedule, work being done in his apartment, family, headache, whatever he cited, they knew it was a lie. 

If it wasn’t that, despite the unwillingness to stay later, he still seemed happy and utterly like their Hakyeon, Hyuk would have called him on it. Instead, he just watched as Hakyeon slipped out of the room, noting that everyone else’s gaze lingered on the departing leader’s back too, but no one said anything. 

Perhaps, at the end of the third month, Hakyeon sensed their unrest and blatant suspicion, and finally asked them out to dinner to meet the man who was taking up all his time. Hyuk had been filled with excitement and anxiety and unrest, and he knew the rest of them had also been feeling it. He was eager to give a face to the voice haunting him, and when he did it was disappointingly anticlimactic. 

The man was normal. Older than Hakyeon by a few years and a well known producer in their industry. Respected by their peers. Hakyeon apologetically told them that they had kept it a secret because they didn’t want the relationship to affect either of their work. They had nodded in understanding; there was nothing else they could say. 

The man was charming, funny, handsome, tall, and he was visibly head over heels for Hakyeon. Hyuk noted that the man’s hand lingered at the small of his hyung’s back at all times. He would help Hakyeon up, pull out his chair for him, stand with a casual arm around his waist, pull him close, touch him. Just constantly touch him. 

Hyuk didn’t know why this made him so mad. 

He was also tall. Hakyeon might have had the misfortune to be dwarfed by all of them, but he was usually the tallest amongst his other activities. This man made him look like he was tiny and delicate. When Hyuk looked at him, he was able to stare at him head on without having to look down. For a producer, his muscles were also on par with Hyuk’s own, and perhaps even more so as the dancing kept Hyuk’s figure slim. This man looked like he worked out just to get bigger. 

Hyuk had the errant thought that if he ever got physical with Hakyeon, he could probably do a lot of damage. His fists clenched and he had to work to unclench them. He had to relax. There was no evidence that the man had any violent tendencies and Hyuk knew he couldn’t just let his imagination run wild. But, there was just a feeling, deep in his gut, that whispered for him not to let his guard down. 

So he didn’t. 

Time passed. They got busy again. They met once, just to discuss the new person in Hakyeon’s life, each giving their grudging approval that it seemed that Hakyeon had finally made a good decision. Hyuk didn’t contribute much to the conversation, and he could feel Taekwoon’s eyes on him, but they didn’t talk about it after. Hyuk’s vigilance faded a bit, it seemed like his instincts were wrong and he was angry at himself for creating something out of nothing. 

Then, as if the universe wanted to give him a sign, Hakyeon stopped touching them. 

It shouldn’t have been noticeable, but as it happened, they had been blessed with a leader who seemed to thrive on touch and touch alone, so when he stopped it was like a gunshot went off, catching everyone’s attention. Hakyeon ducked out of a hug from Jaehwan, making it seem like he hadn’t noticed it. He stopped patting Hyuk on the back, and stopped forcing him and Hongbin to accept his hugs. He stopped draping himself over Ravi and stopped trying to hold Taekwoon’s hand. He just stopped out of the blue and they didn’t know what to say. 

Not when they had been pushing him off for years. The unspoken agreement was that they were brats that wouldn’t let Hakyeon love them. That was the play, the  _ rule  _ of their silent game. It couldn’t work if Hakyeon didn’t uphold his end. 

Hakyeon stopped his affectionate touches gradually. They all noticed, but brushed it off the first, second, third time it happened. By the fourth it was too late to say anything. Hyuk grit his teeth and told himself it was nothing. He hadn’t realized how much he relied on the familial, affectionate touch of the man who had practically raised him, but now it seemed as if the time was up. Hakyeon was still actively involved in their lives and seemed happy and that was all that mattered. 

Then Hakyeon dropped his radio host duties. Hyuk watched as Ravi’s eyes hardened when he heard the news and felt his own do the same. Hakyeon had fought so hard for that position, the job being one that he actually enjoyed doing. It had been something for himself, a personal achievement, a place that he had carved out for himself. He just, inexplicably, walked away from it. 

Or, not inexplicably. Hyuk had a theory, but he kept his mouth shut.

Then Hakyeon told them that his boyfriend had changed the locks because he felt safer installing a new lock, what with Hakyeon’s neighborhood apparently being on the fringes of a shadier one. It was a bullshit excuse. Haykeon had been so incredibly apologetic when he told them that none of their keys would work anymore. He told them that his boyfriend had the master key and promised to make copies as soon as he could get his hands on it. He never did. Hyuk heard later from Jaehwan, who had accidentally walked in on it, that Taekwoon had cried on Hongbin’s shoulder because of it. 

He would have been angry at Hakyeon, except there was just something so defeated about Hakyeon when he had been telling them that it didn’t seem right. Later at night, when Hyuk was alone, he thought about how odd it was that someone else held the master key to Hakyeon’s apartment. It didn’t seem right. 

The last straw for Hyuk came when Hakyeon dropped his independent dance recital. He had been working on it for months, cheeks flushing with excitement when someone brought it up and eyes lighting up in a way they didn't do very often anymore. Even at their own practice, Hakyeon alway took a moment to show them the latest move or jump that he had painstakingly choreographed into perfection. 

Hakyeon had offhandedly told them that he felt he couldn’t do the dance justice anymore because he didn’t have enough time to practice. Hyuk knew that he was down to half the normal amount of schedules he usually did, and that, like with so many of the other things Hakyeon had told them in the past, it was a lie. 

But this was one lie too many. 

This was  _ dancing _ . Hakyeon’s first love and greatest passion. Hyuk had fallen in love with dance by watching Hakyeon lose himself to the rhythm. He and Hakyeon had shared this passion for so long and now Hakyeon was just going to abandon it? Not on Hyuk’s watch. 

Hyuk didn’t play around. He went straight to Hakyeon’s apartement, knowing that his boyfriend would be out for work. He knocked for a good twenty seconds, angry that the silver key on his keyring was just a hunk of useless metal now. Hakyeon shouldn’t ever be behind a locked door to them. 

“Hyogie?” Hakyeon looked startled. And like he had just woken up. “What are you doing here?” 

“We need to talk.” Hyuk said, pushing past him and not letting Hakyeon block him at the door. It had been months since he had last been here. He looked around the apartment and was crushed to see that there was barely any remnant of the candle filled, soft safe haven that Hakyeon had initially turned the place into. Now it was a cold modern room, filled with the gifts of a man that was slowly crushing Hakyeon. 

Hyuk should have listened to his gut from the beginning. 

“What’s wrong? Is everything alright?” Hakyeon asked, reaching out as if to grab his arm, and then pulling back with a jerk. As if something had stopped him physically. 

Hyuk’s mouth twisted into a frown. That man, that heinous man, had done something to make the person who had raised him think it wasn’t okay to touch him. Hyuk wanted his head on a platter. 

“You quit the dance. You quit  _ your  _ dance. How could you?” He accused, trying to control the red seeping into his vision. He wanted Hakyeon to know exactly who he was mad at. 

“Oh, I-, well I told you guys, I just don’t have much time these days. Maybe I’ll go back to it someday.” The words were said without a shred of hope. Hakyeon was giving him his stage smile. 

Hyuk wanted to scream at this shell of a person. Where was  _ Hakyeon _ ? Where was the person that fought tooth and nail for his and their success? How had he become so hollowed out without anyone noticing? 

“That’s a lie.” Hyuk said. He said it calmly. Gently. He wouldn’t make Ravi’s mistakes, he would learn from them. 

“Hyuk-...” Hakyeon seemed shocked. He froze, eyes wide. 

Hyuk realized something. It was, as most things were, too late of a realization, a wistful hindsight. Hakyeon had been lying so much because he was begging someone to call him out on them. Any of them. He had just wanted someone to care enough to call him out, and Hyuk rued that he had let someone else make the decisions for him. But not anymore. 

He would call Hakyeon out on all the lies. 

“That’s a lie, Hyung. Tell me the truth.” Hyuk said, still steady on his feet and his tone. 

“Hyogie...I, really there’s nothing-....”

“Hyung.” Hyuk’s voice was soft. Open. “Please.” 

Hakyeon took a deep breath. It was unsteady. He looked away as if he couldn’t bear to look at Hyuk in the face. “He asked me to marry him. I said yes. We’re moving to the countryside by the end of the year.”

The world crashed down on his head. Hyuk reeled mentally. Physically, he stood stock still, not letting a single iota of emotion cross his face. Hakyeon was still talking, his mouth was moving and his hands were emphasizing his words. Hyuk couldn’t hear anything past the rush of howling wind in his ears. 

No. No,  _ no _ ! He couldn’t do this. This was bigger than just him. He needed Ravi and Taekwoon and Hongbin and Jaehwan, he couldn’t do this alone. He couldn't because they were  _ too late _ because they had somehow let this slip, slip, slip past them and let Hakyeon think-

No.

Hyuk steeled. He turned his spine into iron and thought about how people always talked about how, in life, only a few moments came around that really mattered. What you did in those moments defined you as a person. Hyuk was ready to be defined. He was ready because Hakyeon spent the majority of his life teaching Hyuk  _ how  _ to be ready. For everything. 

“Why?” Hyuk asked. 

“Why what?” Hakyeon asked, quietly. Wearily. 

“Why would you marry someone that doesn’t know you?” Hyuk asked, brows furrowing in genuine confusion.

“Hyuk! How could you say that?” Hakyeon cried. 

Hyuk could see him getting defensive. He stayed cool. His hyungs weren’t here, but that was okay. Hyuk was here. And Hyuk was going to handle it. 

“Who lives here, Hyung?” Hyuk said, gesturing around to the bare impersonal room. “Because it's not  _ you _ . Where are your candles, and your pillows, and your books, and your music?” 

Hakyeon looked around the apartment, bewildered, as if he was seeing it for the first time. 

“I- we just-...We just moved some of my stuff out of the way to make room for his. That’s what people do when they are in a relationship.” Hakyeon sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

“Okay. Then where’s your half of the stuff, hyung?” Hyuk asked, looking around the sparse room. 

There was a white rug. Two black couches. A boring coffee table. Abstract art on the walls. Not a single candle in the whole goddamn room. It could have been a waiting room at a doctor’s office. 

When Hyuk thought about how the room used to look, it made his head spin. Warm, always warm, with worn couches loaded with afghans and pillows. Mismatched furniture that was picked for comfort, always piled with soft toys and pillows. Always a candle lit on a table, perched precariously next to fresh flowers, pictures scattered artfully about the room showcasing Hakyeon’s love for the people he had picked to be in his life. Books scattered about the table, a half rolled yoga mat in the corner, softly painted walls, dance shoes piled in a corner.  _ Where was Hakyeon’s stuff? _

“It’s-...” Hakyeon looked like he was tearing up, eyes glossy. Hyuk forced himself to stay strong. “It’s…”

“Where’s that blanket your grandmother knitted for you? You always said you would keep it on the couch forever because that’s where you sat when you watched her knit it. I can’t remember how many times I woke up under that thing, on your couch. And where are all your picture frames? You put so much effort into developing those and finding the perfect frames for them. You dragged each of us out to look through old shops for the perfect frame, don’t you remember? And where-...”

“ _ Boxes _ .” Hakyeon whispered hoarsely.

Hyuk immediately fell silent. 

“All my stuff. It’s...in boxes.” Hakyeon cleared his throat, but that did nothing to stop the lone tear that streaked down his cheek. “It’s in boxes in the attic.” 

Hyuk took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and steadied himself. When he opened them, it was just in time to see another tear roll down Haykeon’s too sharp cheek. 

“He packed you into the attic, hyung. In your own home. What do you think is going to happen, when you move into  _ his  _ house?” Hyuk asked, not unkindly.

Hakyeon let out a sob. 

He broke as Hyuk watched and Hyuk held strong because he knew two things. One, there was about to be a  _ fight _ , and two; at the end of that fight, Hayeon would need him. 

He was right. The fight was ugly as it brought out all the things Hakyeon had shoved down and ignored for nearly a year. 

“I-, I  _ need  _ him. I love him. I can’t do this without him!” Hakyeon had cried out, tears streaming down his face.

“Did  _ he  _ tell you that?” 

“I-... _ I _ -....” 

“You’ve never needed him. You’ve never needed anyone because you are the strongest person I know. I’m sorry he couldn’t be the man you wanted him to be.” Hyuk said. 

“I don’t want to be  _ alone _ !” Hakyeon sounded scared, to Hyuk’s utter devastation. 

“You won’t be. We would never let you be alone.” There was an unbreakable thread of promise in his voice. 

Hyuk swept forward and finally enveloped his too small leader into his arms, after months of subconscious longing. It felt like homecoming, even as Hakyeon tried to fight him off, crying as if he didnt know how to stop. 

And then the catharsis. 

“I promised myself, that I would just carry you away if I needed to.” Hyuk whispered into Haykeon’s hair as he stood with his small leader in his arms. “So I’m just going to do that, okay?” 

Hakyeon wrapped his arms around Hyuk’s shoulders and clung on tightly. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ravi opened the door to his penthouse quickly, as if he had been waiting right on the other side. Hyuk carried a shivering Hakyeon inside, making quick eye contact with him and giving a short nod. 

Hakyeon was awake, but utterly zoned out. Tears still slipped down his face. Hyuk knew they would just have to wait for them to run out, and hold him until that happened. He hated that Hakyeon was wasting tears on that man, but knew he needed to let Hakyeon deal with it in his own way. 

He settled them both on Ravi’s couch, tucking Hakyeon into the sectional. Ravi quickly dropped a box of tissues on the table beside them, and then a little more hesitantly, covered Hakyeon with a thick grey blanket. Hakyeon blinked, and then looked up. His eyes were tired. 

“You were right.” He said dully. His body shivered under the blanket. 

“ _ No _ .” Ravi said fiercely. “No, I  _ wasn’t _ . I have never been so wrong about something in my life. I know you’re sad now, Hyung, I know you won’t be able to see it now, or listen if I try to tell you. But I swear, I’ll show you, I’ll prove to you how wrong I was.” 

Hyuk didn’t know, but could guess what they were talking about. Hakyeon and Ravi’s fight sometimes hovered like a distant cloud over the both of them, even after all this time. 

“I was wrong, hyung. The truth is, what that really impossible thing is, how every single person on this earth doesn’t fall in love with you. We all know it.”

Hakyeon’s face crumpled. Ravi nudged Hyuk so he was wedged in between and then gathered the leader in his arms. 

“I’m sorry.” Ravi whispered into Hakyeon’s hair. “I’m here.” 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hakyeon shrieked with laughter as he tried to outrun the stream of freezing cold water from Hongbin’s water gun. In his hand, he had the flag he just stolen clenched in his grip. 

“I found him!” Hongbin shouted to the others. 

“Yeonnie, this way!” 

Hakyeon looked up at the shout to see his husband frantically gesturing to him, his own face split into a wide grin. With a warcry, he ran forward to cover Hakyeon as he ran into the opening. Hakyeon was breathless with laughter as he ran, trying to keep his grip on his slippery water gun, now empty. 

“Get them!” 

From the side, Jaehwan, Ravi, and Hyuk popped up out of their hiding spots, intercepting Hakyeon’s run. Jaehwan and Ravi pelted his husband with water, while Hyuk threw a wholly indignant Hakyeon over his shoulder and ran back towards Hongbin. 

“Noo!” Hakyeon protested, trying his best to wiggle off. 

“Babe, I’ll save you!” His husband shouted, voice fading as Hyuk ran further, annoyingly unimpeded by the extra weight he was carrying. 

“He’s ours now!” Jaehwan cackled. 

“Your husband is terrible at this game.” Hongbin informed him, as Hyuk set Hakyeon down in the patch of grass deemed as jail. 

“Go easy on him, it's his first time.” Hakyeon said with a laugh. 

“He’s lucky we like him. Taekwoon hyung wanted to get the garden hose out, Ravi hyung persuaded him not to.” Hyuk laughed. 

“Then I’m very glad you like him.” Hakyeon laughed, half alarmed and half amused at the thought of what that would have turned out to be like. 

“We all do.” Hongbin said, looking at Hakyeon with that expression that let Hakyeon know he was cringing on the inside. “I’m glad you two found each other.” 

Hakyeon smiled. Warmth bloomed inside him at the thought of his happiness. 

“So am I.” 

“Ugh, Hyung has that sappy look on his face again. Bin, give me your gun.”

_ “Han Sanghyuk!” _

_ Fin. _


End file.
